Re: IS PETCO RIGHT ABOUT REDFOOT TORTOISES????

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Posted by EJ on October 20, 2000 at 08:41:14:

In Reply to: IS PETCO RIGHT ABOUT REDFOOT TORTOISES???? posted by Petco on October 19, 2000 at 16:04:58:

First, talk to as many redfoot tortoise keepers as you can. Check out Onelist.con for a redfoot tortoise listserv. You can probably get some good info there.
Redfoots probably need as much protien as say sulcatas. The problem is that redfoots are not the kind of grazers as sulcatas are so the protein has to come from somewhere else. Redfoots scare me as far as diet is concerned. I class them as the some group as boxies. I call them forest dwellers. They scare because their diets are so varied between plant and animal matter. What they really is anyones guess but I believe animal protein is an important part of their diet. Most old time redfoot keepers believe the same. Some go so far as to feed and occasioal mouse to their animals. So, once again all animals need protein (basic building block) All animals probably need the same amount of protein.(think about it). Now we run into the problem of source, and what is associated with the required protein. For anyone to say that one component should be limited will definately lead to some deficiency in another area. (Yea, I know I've said this myself at one time or another)(I was wrong) what you are striving to do is provide balance. If you are a tortoise nutritionist or a field biologist dealing with the animal you are keeping this should not be a problem. If you are like myself, you are only guessing. I believe the best way around this is variety. With grazers that is easy. You provide a variety of plants and grasses. With browsers (like the redfoots) it is a little more difficult because animal protein is a part of their diet (streight out of the X-files) Whether it is an important part I don't know but if they eat it in the wild why not provid it for them.

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: First, talk to as many redfoot tortoise keepers as you can. Check out Onelist.con for a redfoot tortoise listserv. You can probably get some good info there. : Redfoots probably need as much protien as say sulcatas. The problem is that redfoots are not the kind of grazers as sulcatas are so the protein has to come from somewhere else. Redfoots scare me as far as diet is concerned. I class them as the some group as boxies. I call them forest dwellers. They scare because their diets are so varied between plant and animal matter. What they really is anyones guess but I believe animal protein is an important part of their diet. Most old time redfoot keepers believe the same. Some go so far as to feed and occasioal mouse to their animals. So, once again all animals need protein (basic building block) All animals probably need the same amount of protein.(think about it). Now we run into the problem of source, and what is associated with the required protein. For anyone to say that one component should be limited will definately lead to some deficiency in another area. (Yea, I know I've said this myself at one time or another)(I was wrong) what you are striving to do is provide balance. If you are a tortoise nutritionist or a field biologist dealing with the animal you are keeping this should not be a problem. If you are like myself, you are only guessing. I believe the best way around this is variety. With grazers that is easy. You provide a variety of plants and grasses. With browsers (like the redfoots) it is a little more difficult because animal protein is a part of their diet (streight out of the X-files) Whether it is an important part I don't know but if they eat it in the wild why not provid it for them.

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